The Duchess Is Looking for Her Husband
Chapter 10
Artia spoke with confidence.
“Yes, I have changed. The thick filter that was covering my eyes has completely disappeared.”
She immediately got to the point.
“So I sincerely ask Your Highness. Please help me get a divorce.”
I finally said it!
Her heart was pounding hard.
She had no idea how Kilian would react.
After a long silence, Kilian asked,
“Why should I?”
Maybe Artia was imagining it.
His tone was still cold, but he didn’t seem particularly angry.
Most importantly, he hadn’t swung his sword at her for coming all this way just to say something useless.
Artia felt a small spark of hope and began speaking.
“I don’t think Your Highness criticized Royd simply because he was a bad person. I believe you were displeased that someone so incompetent became the Duke of Edenberg, one of the Empire’s oldest and most prestigious noble families.”
Otherwise, Kilian would never have looked at Royd as if he were an insect.
Kilian didn’t even look at people he had no interest in.
He despised incompetent people.
The higher their position, the more he despised them.
That was exactly what Artia was counting on.
“I will choose the next Duke of Edenberg to be someone you approve of, Your Highness.”
Although the family’s power had weakened because several incompetent heads had taken the position of Duke one after another, Edenberg was still a noble and honorable name.
Artia was offering Kilian the chance to put someone he wanted in such an important position.
She desperately hoped that this would be an attractive offer to a prince who wanted to become the next Emperor.
“So you’re saying you’ll get married with my permission?”
“Yes.”
“And what if I don’t like the man you choose?”
“Then I won’t marry him.”
Artia was making this request despite the huge risk involved.
That was how desperately she wanted a divorce.
Heh.
A low laugh passed by so quickly that Artia’s pink eyes widened.
‘Did His Highness just laugh?’
No.
She must have heard wrong.
There was no way His Mad Highness, who became furious whenever he saw women, would laugh.
While Artia was confused, Kilian’s low voice reached her.
“Raise your head, Artia von Edenberg.”
“……”
When Artia hesitated, Kilian continued.
“I don’t deny that I hate women. But I’m not crazy enough to rip out someone’s eyes just because they look at me.”
Hoping he was telling the truth, Artia carefully raised her head.
The moment she saw Kilian’s face, a small gasp escaped her lips.
Although Artia and Kilian had met several times because they were both nobles, she had never properly looked at his face.
She had been too afraid.
But now, seeing Kilian up close for the first time…
‘Is he even human?’
His hair was as black as the night sky.
His golden eyes were so bright and pure that they looked almost unreal.
The strong contrast between his black hair and golden eyes, combined with his delicate features, made him look like a perfect work of art created by a god who had put great effort into making him.
But Artia could not admire his unreal beauty.
His golden eyes were shining so fiercely that it felt as if he could tear her apart at any moment.
Artia wanted to look back at the floor, but she forced herself to keep her head up.
Kilian stared at her for a long moment before speaking.
“I’ll help you.”
“……!”
“But I will only get the Imperial Family to officially accept your divorce request. Whether the divorce is actually approved is entirely up to His Majesty the Emperor.”
“I understand. That’s enough.”
Artia answered in a trembling voice and lifted the hem of her dress.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Her sincere gratitude was met with silence.
As the silence continued, Artia became nervous again.
‘Why isn’t he saying anything?’
Maybe he regrets accepting my offer? Or maybe he’s suddenly annoyed by my face and his madness is about to come out?
Just as she cautiously glanced at the sword hanging at Kilian’s waist, Kilian spoke.
“Nocturne.”
Nocturne, who had apparently been waiting outside, immediately entered.
“Yes?”
“Bring some Asiatica ointment.”
“Yes.”
Nocturne returned so quickly that it almost seemed like he had teleported.
He handed Artia a small round container.
“This is a precious medicine used only by the Imperial Family. It is extremely effective for healing wounds.”
“……”
Why is he giving this valuable medicine to me?
Artia frowned in confusion.
Kilian looked at her arrogantly and said,
“I hate women.”
I know.
“I hate crying women even more.”
I didn’t know that.
“I hate injured women the most.”
“……”
“So use it. I already know that the Duke of Edenberg is a damn bastard who hits his wife. You don’t need to walk around with a wound just to remind me.”
Only then did Artia remember the injury on her face.
She had deliberately come without properly treating it, hoping Kilian would notice and feel sympathy for her.
But she had completely forgotten about it.
‘I thought His Highness wouldn’t care at all…’
Of course, he probably wasn’t feeling sorry for her.
He probably simply disliked seeing something he already hated, a woman, looking even worse with an ugly injury.
Even so, Artia was grateful that he had noticed her wound and given her medicine.
The corners of her lips rose slightly.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
Artia gave him a faint smile with one cheek still red and swollen.
Kilian thought while looking at her,
‘Normally, seeing a woman smile annoys me…’
But for some reason, he didn’t feel that way when he looked at her.
Not now.
And not in the past, either.
A faint feeling of discomfort appeared on Kilian’s beautiful face.
Artia noticed his expression and became even more frightened, shrinking her shoulders.
Kilian’s eyebrows furrowed even more.
Fortunately, he didn’t keep her there any longer.
“Go.”
It was an extremely rough way to speak to a noblewoman, even for a prince.
But Artia’s face immediately brightened as if he had just said exactly what she had been waiting to hear.
“Yes. I will take my leave. Please stay healthy until we meet again.”
After giving him a polite bow, Artia quickly left the room.
‘She came in stumbling around like a rabbit being dragged into a tiger’s den, but she’s leaving incredibly quickly.’
Kilian narrowed his eyes.
Nocturne carefully asked,
“What did you discuss?”
Normally, Nocturne wasn’t the kind of person who asked such questions.
But this was too strange not to ask.
It was already strange enough that a mere Duchess had come to see Kilian.
It was even stranger that Kilian had agreed to meet her.
Kilian leaned back in his chair and answered,
“Artia von Edenberg wants a divorce.”
Nocturne’s eyes became twice as wide.
A Duchess wanted a divorce!
It was more shocking than hearing about “the dignified Emperor knitting” or “the elegant Empress swearing.”
But Kilian, who had said it so casually, didn’t seem surprised at all.
In fact…
“Your Highness, are you enjoying this?”
“A little.”
“……”
“Artia von Edenberg, who always trembled while staring at the floor, wants a divorce. Isn’t it interesting?”
“……”
Nocturne had to admit that it was interesting.
But he couldn’t bring himself to agree easily.
Because the person saying it was Kilian.
Kilian had been completely uninterested in other people since he was young.
Once, even when he saw Nocturne covered in blood after being wounded on the battlefield, instead of asking whether he was okay, Kilian had simply asked,
“Is the bath ready?”
That was the kind of man Kilian was.
So seeing this unusual reaction from him made chills run down Nocturne’s back.
‘Things went much better than I expected.’
Artia returned to the mansion with a happy expression.
Waiting for her were the inseparable pair of cockroaches.
The moment Lirika saw Artia, she whimpered and buried herself in Royd’s arms.
“I’m scared, Duke. What if sister locks Liri in her room again?”
“You don’t need to be afraid, my baby bird. I’m here now.”
Whenever Artia saw them like this, the old Artia would have been overwhelmed with sadness and cried.
But the current Artia felt only one thing.
“Ugh.”
